


there's a devil in my brain with a pitchfork and a flame

by toad_in_the_road



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Cats, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Good Significant Other Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Intrusive Thoughts, Mental Health Issues, New Dream, New Dream Fluff, POV Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Post-Tangled (2010), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rapunzel Has PTSD (Disney), and i call bullshit, bruh they both do, but the anxiety kind, get these characters some therapy my god, im gay, me projecting onto fictional characters?, more likely than you think, the series said 'eugene adjusted great!', using cats as symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toad_in_the_road/pseuds/toad_in_the_road
Summary: There's a feral cat in the castle, and Rapunzel is determined to win it over.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	there's a devil in my brain with a pitchfork and a flame

**Author's Note:**

> there was a plot in here at some point and then it just became me hashing out my own issues so anyway
> 
> title is a line from 'dread in my heart' by mother mother
> 
> i CANNOT stop writing tangled one shots there's like three more in my drafts send help

Barely seventy-two hours after Rapunzel was returned home after a lifetime of imprisonment and lies, a cat ran in front of her.

Eugene jumped slightly when a black furry blur darted in front of him and leapt up the queen’s rose trellis before coming to a stop on top of the stone wall, staring at them with big yellow-green eyes, tail flicking nervously. 

Rapunzel paused, dropping off in her explanation of why she disliked parts of royal decorum and stared at the black cat, which busied itself with licking its paw. “Cassandra mentioned that cat.” She said.

“Why?” Eugene glanced at it, noticing the large notch in its left ear. “Does it belong to someone?”

“No, she said it’s a stray that hangs around and no one likes,” Rapunzel said, frowning slightly. “Apparently some of the castle staff thinks he’s bad luck. He’s always getting into stuff or making a mess.”

“I wouldn’t call that bad luck,” Eugene chuckled slightly. “More so a track record.”

“That’s what Cass said!” Rapunzel said, and then started off towards the cat.

The cat paused, watching her get close, tense and nervous. When she was within fifteen feet, it leapt off the wall, sprinting away as though Rapunzel were a deadly threat it had barely avoided. She frowned, looking disappointed.

“Aw,” She frowned again. “I wanted to try and make friends with him.” Pascal looked a bit unsure at this, maybe because of the habit cats usually had of eating small things.

“Cats aren’t very sociable. Especially feral ones.” Eugene shrugged. 

“He’s probably lonely.” Rapunzel said sadly. 

“I’m sure he’s fine. He probably lives a fabulous castle cat life.” Eugene said.

Rapunzel didn’t answer, still looking disappointed and slightly distressed for the cat’s emotional state. Taking a risk, Eugene took her hand. “Don’t worry about him. Feral cats really don’t make good friends anyway.”

Rapunzel smiled, and squeezed his hand back. Eugene opened his mouth to comment on how pretty she looked in the afternoon sun, but a guard rounded the corner, and he dropped her hand in a second, stepping back nervously. 

_They’re going to throw you out, or more likely, hang you when she’s not looking. And there’s a lot of times she’s not looking, she’s busy being a princess and making an actual difference._

Rapunzel’s smile dropped slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

_Or she’s going to get sick of you, because you keep pulling away and don’t explain why, and then you’ll have to leave and outrun the guards again when their goodwill runs out._

And that was the start of the quest to become friends with the feral cat.

*** *** ***

Eugene still locked the door to the room he had claimed, one far away from Rapunzel’s, near the staff quarters.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of someone coming in and attacking him in the middle of the night. That was silly. They wouldn’t need the cover of stealth to get him here, in the heart of the Corona castle. 

It was just that Flynn Rider instincts were hard to forget, and when the door was unlocked, every noise made his heart skip a beat, and his traitorous brain whispered promises of masked attackers eager for revenge, angry for transgressions he had long forgotten. Or guards that held cold metal cuffs and rough ropes tied into nooses. Or sometimes, when he was really unlucky, images of a shining knife covered in blood came to him, clutched by a bony, decomposing hand that still reached through the rattling night to finish the job they had started in a tower.

So he locked the door. But then he realized they could pick a lock. So he propped a chair against the doorknob. But then he realized they could break down the door, and quite easily, because the wood was weak and splintering. So he set up his own security system from bits of a broken mirror he had found in one of the drawers, placing them upright in front of the door so an attacker would be slowed by shards of glass, giving him ample time to gather himself. But then he realized the window locks were flimsy. So he started digging around for something sharp to use to set up a similar trap.

More than a few stories above the ground, but that didn’t matter.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this was stupid, and he was being paranoid. But the acknowledgement of the paranoia didn’t stop the scenarios of struggles in the dead of night from popping into his head. 

_They’re going to get you, they’re going to get you and then Rapunzel, they’re going to get you, they’re going to come through the cracks in the walls if they have to because that’s how bad they want to get you-_

Someone knocked on his door, and he was glad that he was alone, lest someone see how he jumped as though struck. He went dead still, heart hammering, ready to either fight or make a daring leap through the window that would no doubt result in more than a few broken limbs.

“Eugene?” Rapunzel's voice called from the other side of the door, and Eugene sighed in relief. 

“One second.” Eugene said, kicking the mirror shards aside as quickly as he could. He shoved the chair aside, and unlocked the door.

_They’re going to get you._

Rapunzel looked nervous, rocking on the balls of her feet. She reached behind her, and paused. It took Eugene a second to realize what the motion was-reaching for hair that was no longer there. 

“You’re up late.” Eugene said.

“Well, so are you.” Rapunzel said.

Eugene shrugged, but moved aside so Rapunzel could come in. She paused, glancing down. “Why is there glass on the floor?”

“Broke something.” Eugene lied, probably with too much ease. Flynn Rider was an expert in coming up with lies on the spot, and while he was grateful for it now, he wasn’t sure he liked how quickly the skill came back.

Rapunzel looked unconvinced, carefully picking her way through the glass minefield. “So what brings you here?” Eugene asked, smiling easily.

“Just…” Rapunzel paused, looking unsure. “Trouble sleeping, I guess.”

“Ah.” Eugene said, feeling inadequate for his inability to reassure her. But he himself had gotten somewhere between eight and twelve hours total in sleep in the last week. And that was if he was being generous. And the sleep was hardly restful. 

And based on her pensive expression, she was suffering from the same issues he was.

What could he say, anyway? _Oh, don’t worry about it, the fear goes away. Eventually it doesn’t swallow you whole and make you sick every time you think about it, and you don’t need to booby trap the room because you don’t know who’s on the other side, and you’re pretty sure it’s just a maid but you can never really be sure, can you?_

“I’m sorry.” Eugene said, useless.

Rapunzel didn’t respond, and the heavy silence of things yet left undiscussed weighed on them like stones until the sun came up.

_She’s going to leave._

*** *** ***

Eugene heard something crash and several women shriek, and he darted towards the noise, heart racing and mind filled with worst case scenarios ranging from break-ins to explosions. And mixes of both.

Instead, a very wet black cat sprinted out of the laundry room, narrowly avoiding being hit by a washboard. “STAY OUT!” Someone shrieked from inside, and Eugene decided not to go in, lest he risk a washboard to the face.

The cat shook itself, looking very offended. Eugene glanced at it, dripping and angry, and smiled slightly. “Guess you do make a bit of a mess, huh?” 

The cat did not reply, of course, and he felt silly for speaking with it. He took a step towards it, and instantly the cat pressed low to the ground, ears flat against its head. It hissed loudly at Eugene, daring him to take another step. 

“Eugene!” Rapunzel rounded the corner, smiling widely when she saw him, and then even wider when she saw the cat. “Oh, there he is!”

“I wouldn’t-” Eugene said, but it was too late.

Rapunzel reached into a bag she had been carrying, and withdrew a few pieces of dried meat. She tsked at the cat, offering the treats, creeping forward slowly. When the cat tensed, she sat on the ground, reaching out as far as she could to offer the dried meat to it.

In response to her generosity, the cat hissed loudly, showing off big teeth. It turned tail and sprinted down the hall. Eugene watched it go, leaving wet footprints on the castle carpet.

“I told you, he’s feral. He’s not gonna be very nice.” Eugene said, but Rapunzel didn’t look upset.

“Maybe right now he’s not,” She said, standing up. “But did you notice I got a lot closer this time?”

*** *** ***

Rapunzel was crying, and once again Eugene was out of his depth.

They had taken refuge behind a castle wall, and he was hugging her tightly as she sobbed. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and each time it did Eugene never saw it coming, and was wholly unprepared and horrible at dealing with it. 

“S-sorry-” Rapunzel managed to say, and Eugene shook his head.

“You’re fine.” He said, though that was a lie. Neither of them were very fine. The late-night visits were somewhat of a routine now, and they both sported dark circles under their eyes. Sometimes Rapunzel brought a game, and it helped distract from the unsaid fear. Sometimes they would talk, or even laugh. But more often than not, one or the other would end up saying something accidentally horrifying, and the silence would fall over them again like a gag.

_Some boyfriend. You’re going to chase her away._

“I-It’s just...I-I was speaking with one of the villagers, and they said s-something about how brave I was and I-” She hiccuped. “I don’t feel very brave.”

“Of course you’re brave,” Eugene said, managing to tip her head up gently so she could look at him. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

Rapunzel sniffled messily, scrubbing at her eyes. Something moved out of the corner of Eugene’s eye, and he looked at it sharply, startled.

But it was only that stupid cat, staring at them with shameless eyes.

“Oh!” Rapunzel said, looking beyond relieved for the distraction. She had her bag with her still, and dug out a piece of dried meat. She tsked at the cat, and tossed the first bit to it. It pounced on it immediately, scarfing it down.

Rapunzel grabbed Eugene’s arm, having him sit down on the ground with her. This time, Rapunzel set the meat out just a few feet away from herself, and waited.

The cat crept close, eyes big and nervous, clearly wanting to leave but also fairly desperate to get the dried meat. Rapunzel was quiet, waiting for the cat to come closer.

After a moment, it did, darting forward and grabbing the tiny bit of meat, trying to swallow it in one motion. Rapunzel reached out, trying to pet the top of the cat’s head while it was distracted.

The cat noticed her, and hissed loudly, swiping up at her. Rapunzel jerked back, startled, and Eugene was already on his feet. “Wait, don’t-” Rapunzel said, but the cat was already gone.

“Are you okay?” Eugene asked.

“Yeah,” Rapunzel said, holding out her hand. “See? He didn’t use his claws. He’s starting to like me.”

“That’s luck. Or maybe he didn’t have time to use his claws.” Eugene said. He frowned, watching the cat disappear into the bushes. “Maybe you should stop before he hurts you.”

Rapunzel merely smiled, her face still blotchy. “It’s a process. We’re getting there, trust me. He’s nervous and not used to all this.”

“Right.” Eugene said, but all the same didn’t like the idea of the animal being anywhere near Rapunzel, even if it made her stop crying.

Though he highly doubted he could stop her.

*** *** ***

The next day, the cat was chased out by Old Lady Crowley with a broom.

And a few days after that, when Rapunzel tried to pet it again, it latched onto her arm and drew blood, screaming at her in a language only cats could comprehend. 

*** *** ***

_You need to leave, you need to leave, you need to leave leave leave leave leave-_

Eugene, slipping into Flynn Rider for a moment, coughed politely at the royal dining table where the king and queen were regaling a visitor with the tale of how the Lost Princess was found. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

He waited for one and a half seconds before standing up and calmly walking out. He waited until he could no longer hear them talking to start sprinting to his room, beyond thankful he didn’t run into any castle staff.

He ducked into his room and slammed the door, unwilling to hear anymore of the tale he had heard told and retold so many times. Truthfully, he had zoned out halfway through the dinner, knowing he had only been allowed along because Rapunzel insisted. And then he had snapped back to reality painfully when he heard the king say his name and realized he was describing his narrow escape from the noose, and the visitor (from some kingdom he didn’t even remember the name of) was looking at him sideways with heavy suspicion. 

He slid down against the door, heart hammering for a reason that he couldn’t quite place, and adrenaline suddenly rising in him as though he were about to run. But there was no danger here. Not now. Right?

_They’re going to get you, you need to leave, you need to leave right now or they’re going to get you-_

“Eugene?” Rapunzel’s voice called out softly from the other side of the door, and he realized he was gasping and dizzy. He clenched his jaw, forcing the spinning feeling away, and stood up, opening the door.

“Hey, Sunshine. What’s-” He stumbled back when Rapunzel suddenly hugged him tightly, throwing him off balance for a second.

After a moment, he hugged her back tightly. “I’m sorry,” He said, realizing he was shaking. “I didn’t mean to leave you back there.”

“Are you okay?” Rapunzel asked.

For some reason, the question twisted something akin to anger in Eugene’s chest. “I dunno,” He said harshly. “Maybe the king talking about my almost execution-which he authorized, by the way-wasn’t something I really wanted to stick around for.”

Rapunzel pulled away a bit, looking up at him with slight surprise at his tone, and Eugene felt his heart sink. “I-I’m so sorry, I don’t know where that came from-”

_She’s going to throw you out, you did this, you did this, why did you snap, you idiot?_

“Come with me.” Rapunzel said, taking Eugene’s arm and dragging him along with her before he could protest.

He blinked, surprised. “Where are we going?”

_She’s going to throw you out, and it’s all your fault._

“I wanna show you something.” Rapunzel said, and he realized that was all he was going to get out of her, so he went quiet again.

She dragged him out to the queen’s garden, and he paused, instantly seeing what Rapunzel wanted to show him.

The cat was there, rolling in a patch of daisies, oblivious to the world around it. Its eyes were closed, and it looked nothing like the cat that hissed and swiped at the hand that fed it. It looked...happy.

Rapunzel pulled Eugene closer, and tsked at the cat. The cat instantly froze, and Eugene expected it to hiss and run away. They were within less than five feet of it after all. Instead, it merely stared at them.

Rapunzel sat down, and Eugene followed her lead. After a few moments, the cat settled, tail twitching slightly. But it didn’t run away.

“Huh.” Eugene said, because he wasn’t sure what else he could say without breaking the fragile peace.

“See?” Rapunzel said proudly. “I told you he’s sweet.”

“How’d you know he’d be here?” Eugene asked.

“He comes here a lot,” Rapunzel said. “I think it makes him feel safe. He’s not a bad cat, he’s just...scared.”

There was quiet for a minute, and the cat rubbed its face against a daisy, seeming to take comfort in the petals.

“So…” Eugene sighed. “Look, I’m so sorry-”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Rapunzel said. “It’s...it’s really hard. We all have more than a little adjusting to do, and I definitely get why you’re angry. I’d be angry too.”

“I’m not angry,” Eugene said, and he mostly meant it. “Is...is that why you’re showing me the cat? Showing me I can adjust too?”

Rapunzel blinked, and then started laughing, though she tried to conceal it. “I-I just wanted to prove to you that I’m making friends with him, you looked like you needed a distraction. Oh, I wish that was the plan, that would have been smart!” She grinned widely. “But I guess now that you mention it…”

She bunched up the fabric on her dress slightly, and Eugene thought absently that it would wrinkle. “I think...that what happened-not just in the tower, but everything-is always going to hurt a little bit. But we have each other now. We’re not alone anymore.”

“That’s almost worse,” Eugene said before he could stop himself. “Now we have something to lose.”

“Maybe,” Rapunzel agreed. “But I don’t plan to leave you behind. What about you?”

“Wha-” Eugene shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Well, there,” Rapunzel said, as if that settled the matter entirely. “Then we don’t have anything to worry about.”

_She’s going to leave, or they’ll make you leave, or they’ll yank the pardon away in the middle of the night and get you then, something very bad will happen-_

“And we’ll just have to keep saying that until we believe it.” Rapunzel said, as if reading his mind. She leaned against him, and Eugene automatically put his arm around her, watching the cat roll around in the daisies to chase away demons.

“I love you.” Eugene said.

Rapunzel smiled. “I love you too.”

*** *** ***

The next time Eugene saw the cat, it had been sometime. He had half forgotten about it, and by this point Rapunzel’s hair was long and golden again, and black rocks with needle sharp edges threatened a strenuous peace.

He ducked into Rapunzel’s room-the door was open-and froze.

The black cat was sitting on her lap, eyes closed, completely still.

For a second, Eugene thought it was dead, and then saw Rapunzel’s overjoyed grin, and figured she probably wouldn’t be so happy about a dead cat. She met his eyes, and her smile grew. “Look!” She said, her voice a slightly squealing whisper.

The cat cracked one of its eyes open, looking at Eugene critically, and then stood up. It circled in Rapunzel’s lap before stretching and taking up a slightly different position, kneading its paws.

Rapunzel motioned for Eugene to come closer, and he did, expecting the cat to leave when he got too close. It didn’t, merely continuing to knead on Rapunzel’s leg.

“Pet him.” Rapunzel said, stroking the cat softly. It stood up, arching its back and headbutting her hand.

“No thanks,” Eugene chuckled. “He’ll scratch me.”

“No, he won’t,” Rapunzel said, and Pascal squeaked from her shoulder, though he didn’t know if it was a warning or an agreement. “He’s sweet. Go on.”

The cat meowed, and it struck Eugene that this was the first time he had heard it making a sound that wasn’t a hiss or a yowl. Slowly, he reached out, touching the cat lightly. 

The cat’s head swiveled around, and Eugene drew back, expecting a hiss and maybe a swipe filled with claws. Instead, the cat regarded him curiously, and then stood up, closing the short distance between them and headbutting Eugene, pressed close to him as it walked around.

Cautiously, Eugene pet its head, and the cat pressed against his hand, eyes closed. A deep, almost growl-like noise came from the cat, and it took Eugene a second to realize it was purring. A somewhat raspy, long unused purr, but a purr all the same.

“See?” Rapunzel said. “I told you I could make friends with him.”

“Yeah.” Eugene said, scratching the cat’s chin, hearing the purr grow louder and more confident. The cat climbed into his lap, making itself comfortable, content to nap in the sun and bask in kind hands and soft words once again. 

Flynn Rider wasn’t a cat person, a dog person, or really a fan of pets in general. Frankly, neither was Eugene, but he had already made an exception for a frog and a horse, so he supposed there was room for a beat-up black cat with a notch in its ear. 

_Something bad will happen, she’s going to leave, or you’ll have to leave, or they’ll finally get you, once and for all, and maybe get her too-_

“We’re okay.” Rapunzel said, out of the blue, scooting close to Eugene.

_Something bad will happen-_

_And what if it doesn’t?_

“Yeah,” Eugene said again, focusing on the purring cat and the love of his life. “I think you’re right.”

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda hate these two at this point for making me feel some kinda way like god i love them so much 
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoyed this because the next tangled one shot is titled 'extended sounds of brutal pipe murder' and it's just horror 
> 
> and if you know what the title is referencing then im sorry in advance 
> 
> come say hey to me on tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/toadintheroad


End file.
